The magnificent Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is one of the most iconic features of the United Arab Emirates. We only had three days on our first visit to the UAE but visiting Abu Dhabi and the Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque with the kids was on our bucket list. And it definitely did not disappoint.
If you are planning to visit the UAE, the chances are it is on your list too. And visiting with kids is pretty straightforward. Here is everything you need to know to plan your visit and make it as enjoyable (and cool) as possible.
Quick tips for Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque with kids
- Visiting with kids
- Getting there
- What to wear
- Practical information
- Entry fee
- Where to stay
- General tips for the UAE with kids
Visiting Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque with kids
Visiting Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque with kids is a great experience.
The mosque building itself is breathtaking, and the experience can be an important learning opportunity for everyone.
However, as with visiting any cultural attraction around the world, its important to remember that kids have a different angle of interest. And certainly a different level and limit of attention span(!).
It is hot in the UAE. (I know I am repeating myself there). Food and drink is not allowed inside the mosque and will be confiscated from your bag at the bag check on arrival.
- Tip: Plan ahead, and stock up on snacks and drink lots of water before entering with kids.
There is a free guided tour of the mosque available and it does not require booking in advance. Check on the Grand Mosque website for further details about the times of tours.
We didn’t do the tour on our visit though it sounds worth recommending. (We were officially too hot and too tired by the time we got there, but in hindsight I wish we had).
Kids are welcome inside mosques, but do have a chat with them before hand.
As with visiting any religious or cultural sight, it is not appropriate for children to run around and play or make loud noises. (Note: Not seemingly ideal expectations for general travel with young kids(!). But an awesome part of travel is learning about expectations of behaviour and culture everywhere you go).
We found people in the UAE friendly and welcoming towards our kids, and curious to meet them and find out where we were from.
Choose a different time and a place for energetic play.
Getting there
If you are on a stopover in the UAE, you will likely be based in Abu Dhabi or Dubai.
The Mosque is in the new area of Abu Dhabi, so it is easy to reach by taxi from accommodation there.
- Tip: From Dubai, the mosque is 1 hour 20 minutes via motorway.
From Abu Dhabi
The easiest way from Abu Dhabi is by taxi from the city.
It’s about a 15 minute taxi drive from the centre of the city and should cost between 30-70 AED.
From Dubai
It’s possible to get to the Grand Mosque by public transport from Dubai.
Buses depart from the Al Ghubaiba bus station in Bar Dubai. These buses follow a non-stop direct route to Abu Dhabi bus station and take 2 hours. The cost for an adult bus ticket is AED 25.
From the bus station in Abu Dhabi you need to take a local bus or taxi to the mosque.
The easiest way (in our trialled opinion) is to drive yourself from Dubai.
We hired a car through Budget Rentals at Dubai Airport, which we booked online through Rental Cars (rentalcars.com).
There is plenty of free parking in a huge carpark outside the mosque entrance. This is the most straightforward way to visit the Sheikh Al Zayed mosque with kids.
A taxi direct from Dubai is another option. Taxi will take approximately 90 minutes each way and cost around 250-275 AED.
For the return trip from the mosque to Dubai, there are taxi lined up outside the mosque entrance and will happily drive you the same distance back to Dubai.
Dress appropriately
If you are visiting the Sheikh Al Zayed mosque with kids the good news is that for them, the dress code is relaxed. There aren’t any restrictions on what young children can wear.
However, as always be respectful of your environment.
- Ladies: Unless you are preprepared with your own abaya (full length robe) and headscarf, you will be given one to wear.
There is no charge to borrow an abaya from the mosque for your visit. You will be ushered into the changing area and there are four different sizes and lengths of robes. The abaya you are given includes a hood style head covering, and you will need to wear this to enter the mosque.
Men: There are dress code regulations for men as well. No short sleeve singlets or shorts.
If you have tattoos they will need to be covered. Men are also provided with a long sleeve shirt of trousers if necessary (though be warned: the long sleeve shirt provided is more like a sweatshirt!).
More information on Mosque Manners on the official website.
Entry fee
It’s free to enter the Grand Mosque!
Opening hours
The mosque is open to the public:
- Saturday to Thursday 09:00am – 10:00pm
- Friday 4:30pm – 10:00pm
If you are visiting the UAE during Ramadan the opening hours are different.
During ramadan the mosque is open to the public from 09:00am-2:00pm Saturday to Thursday and closed on Fridays.
Plan the best time to visit Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque with kids
It goes without saying that the heat in the UAE is hot. The best time of day to visit the mosque is in the morning of early evening, simply due to the fact it is less blindingly hot.
However, if you are visiting during the day it is still going to be great. Just plan ahead a bit more.
And if you are visiting with kids make sure they drink plenty of water before you go.
- Expert tip: See photo below of our two overheating kids not quite halfway round the mosque courtyard…
Where to stay in Dubai for visiting Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque with kids
- Dubai: Gateway Hotel
We stayed in Old Dubai (a bonus we hadn’t even realised on booking). The location was handy to explore Old Dubai on foot.
For visiting the Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque with kids we actually got a taxi from the Gateway Hotel to the airport to pick up a rental car. In hindsight it would have made more sense to get a rental car on arrival but we hadn’t made that plan yet!
General tips for UAE with kids
Visiting the UAE with kids is a great place to start exploring family travel in the Middle East.
The Emirates seem to have just the right amount of interesting history and traditions alongside huge megacities and modern shopping malls.
It’s easy to get around with kids, and it feels extremely safe. People are friendly and were especially enthusiastic to meet the kids when they were dressed in their kandura robes and ghutrah.
Enjoy it! We loved our time in the UAE and visiting Sheikh Al Zayed Mosque with the kids was definitely a highlight.
Useful links for your travels in Middle East and beyond…
These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally. (We love the flexible cancellation policy!).
- Hostelworld– The largest inventory of hostel accommodation in the world.
- Skyscanner – This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home).
Read more about travel in the Middle East
- Saudi Arabia Travel Guide: Everything you need to know about visiting KSA.
- Crossing the Lebanon Syria border from Beirut to Damascus.
- Jordan Travel Guide: Read all about magical Jordan.
- Visiting Umm Qais in Jordan
- Crossing overland from Israel to Jordan (and the worst noise ever).
- UAE with kids: Three Emirates in three days.
- Oman with kids: Road-tripping and wadi-jumping…
